Lessons for Living (Audio)

You remember the saying, “Don’t touch the fire; you’ll get burned”, don’t you? Did you ignore that warning? That fire hurt, didn’t it? People are often given advice like that when they’re young. Sometimes it’s followed, sometimes not. Pastor Mark will be teaching about some of those warnings the Bible gives. Even though the Bible hadn’t been written yet, Joseph knew about the principles that God had established. Pastor Mark will be reminding you about your true loyalty, where it should be and to Whom it should be directed. Making God look good should be your number one priority.

Dealing with negative work situations is one of the hardest things for people to deal with. It’s like the drip of a leaky faucet – it won’t stop and you can’t get away from it. As bad as your situation might be, though, you’re probably not an actual slave, although sometimes you might feel like one. Pastor Mark will be teaching about Joseph’s story and his condition. You’ll hear about how much God blessed him in spite of his circumstances. You will learn how Joseph was able to gain his master’s favor, and you will find out things you can do to change your attitude from negative to positive.

You know, when you’re tempted to sin it seems sooo good, and no one will ever know! How often have you found the reality to be that: it wasn’t so great, and the people you least wanted to discover the sin did find out. That is the true nature of sin. Pastor Mark will be reminding you of that fact in his teaching today. You will hear about a wrong done to Joseph and the repercussions of his brothers hiding that wrong from their father. You will hear that sin can affect a wider range of people than you could imagine. You’ll also find out how to be freed from the consequences of sin – your sin and others’ sins against you.

As you go through your day, day after day, it’s easy and common to get the idea that you’re the commander of your ship – that you call the shots in your life. Even if you are a Christian it’s not surprising to take on that mindset. Scripture, however, begs to differ. God makes it pretty clear that He’s the one who rules over every life. Pastor Mark will be teaching about Joseph’s life story and how God used all of the events in Joseph’s life to make him the kind of man that God could work through. You’ll discover that even the most awful events in your life can be used by God to improve you as a person.

Do you get frustrated with the direction your life seems to have taken? Maybe you’re in what you consider a dead end job with no prospects for advancement, or your employer just doesn’t like you. Pastor Mark will be teaching about someone who was disliked by all of his brothers, which caused them to do a terrible thing to him. As the teaching progresses, you’ll learn how God, who had a plan for that young man, wasn’t taken by surprise by what happened to this kid. You will find out the secret to staying in the will of God, which will certainly be helpful to you with your troubles.

When you read the stories in the Bible of men and women that God used to do amazing things, it’s easy to think that God couldn’t use you in the same manner, isn’t it? That’s a natural tendency. It’s also, from God’s perspective, wrong. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the reality, which is that God can only work in this world through people. He could interact directly with every person on earth but He has chosen to use people – weak, frail, undependable people – like you. You’ll start to learn how to get in the right frame of mind and spiritual place that you will be a fit servant for God’s use.

God’s thought processes are so far advanced beyond how humans think. You’re probably thinking, that’s the advantage of knowing everything. Right? And because He knows the past, present and future, as well as knowing what all men and women are or will be thinking, He can orchestrate people and events to accomplish His goals. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s use of willing people to get done on the earth what He wants to have done. As you listen to today’s message, consider your own willingness to be used by God to accomplish His grand plan for the world through your life.

Around the world, there’s an epidemic of suicide. People are killing themselves because they don’t feel they have a better option. Despair and hopelessness pervades the societies of the planet. People ask why is there this despair and hopelessness? Pastor Mark will be teaching about one of the biblical reasons for these troubles: that people don’t really know who they are and why they’re here. Pastor Mark will be telling you what the Bible has to say about your purpose on this earth. He’ll show you that God says that you’re no accident of birth, and that He really does love you and has a plan for your life.

If you are a Christ follower, you probably have people and circumstances that you care about deeply. Maybe you have a child who is living a lifestyle characterized by sinful behavior. Maybe you have a job decision that involves a radical change in responsibility or location. And you just don’t know what to do or how to pray about it. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will inform you that you don’t have to know how to pray specifically about these situations. What you do have to realize is that in these times, the Holy Spirit does know how best to pray about these matters. You need to ask Him to help you – He will.

Do you read your Bible regularly, outside of church services? Do you own a Bible? If your answer to either or both of those questions is “No”, you are missing one of the most important weapons in your spiritual arsenal. Pastor Mark will be teaching extensively on the spiritual defenses God has made available to you and why you should be aware of and how to use them. He’ll also be teaching about the single offensive weapon that you have. You will learn what it is, why it’s so important to learn to use it effectively, and the danger to your spiritual health if you ignore this weapon.